Getting a taste of life at an English school

Schools around Street have welcomed students from Belarus thisweek.

On a trip organised by the head of Brookside School Claire Axten,the students are aged 13 to 18 and from School 4 and School 8 in thecity of Svetlogorsk, in the Gomel region of Belarus.

The city has had strong links with the Mendip area for more thana decade.

The children have been helping out at Brookside and Catcottschools and will also visit Bishop Henderson School at Coleford.

They will be getting a taste of life at a Somerset secondaryschool as well when they visit Crispin School, Street.

On Friday they will return to Brookside where they will beperforming for parents and children during the Christmas show and inthe evening will be selling their own arts and crafts at the schoolfair.

The 16-strong group are headed by English teacher Zoya Emelyanovaand translator Dmitry Dadalko. Margarita, an English student fromMinsk, is also helping out.

The students have been telling the children about life in Belarusand teaching them a few Russian words.

The young visitors have also had a little time for somesightseeing, visiting Cheddar Gorge, Wells and Bath.

For the visitors the most surprising things have been thepresence of homeless beggars on British streets, and the twistynature of Britain's roads.

In Belarus, long straight highways connect all the towns andcities.

While teacher exchanges between Svetlogorsk and Brookside schoolhave become a fairly common occurrence, this is the first time that students have been able to experience life in British schools.